Thursday, October 12, 2017

Gold worth of Sh500m seized on its way to Zanzibar

In Summary

A statement issued on Thursday, October 12, stated that the two carried the 6.244 kilo gold in a bag and were arrested during passenger inspection at the gate on Tuesday night.

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By The Citizen Reporter @TheCitizenTZ news@tz.nationmedia.com

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has seized five bars of gold worth Sh507.3 million at the Dar es Salaam port as two suspects were trying to transport the minerals to Zanzibar without possessing relevant documents.

A statement issued on Thursday, October 12, stated that the two carried the 6.244 kilo gold in a bag and were arrested during passenger inspection at the gate on Tuesday night.

The statement also claimed that the chief executive officer of Tanzania Minerals Audit Agency, Mr Terence Ngole, confirmed the minerals were true gold.

“When the first suspect was asked to show buying documents and transporting permits, he said they were in Zanzibar but our investigations indicated that he had none. The second suspect said he was just given the minerals by the first suspect to transport to Zanzibar,” the statement said.

The two suspects arrived at around 5.20pm in a Toyota Noah and when security officers started inspection of the vehicle, they tried to resist.

The security officials found a small black bag under the seats containing the gold bars which were covered with tape. The driver escaped.

Commenting about the incident, TPA director general Deusdedit Kakoko said they will continue with inspection of passengers, vehicles and their luggage.

He warned that no illegal transportation would be spared as the authority worked in collaboration with police and other security organs and the citizens.